The Black Douglas

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About this book

Beside the loch of Carlinwark, the clang of an armourer's forge gives way to a family quarrel. The year is 1439, and Sholto MacKim wants to leave his father's forge to become a soldier of fortune. Laurence challenges him to announce that ambition, setting off a comic encounter with their formidable father. This domestic opening places the household within the wider world of William, sixth Earl of Douglas and Lord of Galloway.

S. R. Crockett builds a historical novel around Scottish power, personal loyalties, and adventure, with France also included in its setting. The court scene brings William and his younger brother David before officials who accuse them of treason and rebellion. Formal speeches and proud replies turn political rivalry into a contest of authority. Readers interested in medieval Scotland can find both the everyday work of armourers and the dangerous disputes surrounding a great noble family.

About the author

S. R. Crockett

S. R. Crockett, the publishing name of Samuel Rutherford Crockett, was a Scottish novelist closely associated with Galloway landscapes and communities. Tales of Our Coast is a collaborative collection to which he contributed the opening story, alongside work by Harold Frederic, Gilbert Parker, Arthur Quiller-Couch, and William Clark Russell.